IT concepts

IT concepts encompass the foundational principles and technologies that support modern information systems. This includes networking, databases, operating systems, virtualization, and cloud computing.

Categories:

eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter)

IT concepts

eBPF is a Linux kernel technology that allows programs to run sandboxed logic in the kernel without modifying kernel source code or loading kernel modules. In workload identity and security, eBPF enables deep network and process observability, policy enforcement, and identity-aware controls at the infrastructure level with minimal performance overhead. It is foundational to modern proxyless architectures that enforce zero trust policies without requiring a sidecar proxy in every workload.

Service Mesh

IT concepts

A service mesh is an infrastructure layer that manages and secures communication between microservices and workloads within a distributed application. It handles mutual authentication (mTLS), traffic routing, observability, and policy enforcement at the network level without requiring changes to application code. For workload identity, service meshes provide a control plane where authentication and authorization decisions can be made consistently across all service-to-service interactions in a cluster or multi-cloud environment.

Identity Provider (IdP)

IT concepts

An Identity Provider (IdP) is a trusted system that authenticates users or workloads and issues cryptographically signed tokens or assertions that enable access to applications and services across federated environments. For workload contexts, IdPs establish trust through runtime environment attestation and issue short-lived, automatically-rotated cryptographic credentials using protocols like OpenID Connect (OIDC) and SAML 2.0.

High Availability (HA)

IT concepts

High Availability (HA) is a system design approach that ensures a specific degree of operational continuity during a given time period, typically measured in uptime percentages such as 99.9% or 99.99%. In workload identity and access management systems, HA ensures that authentication, authorization, and credential issuance services remain accessible even during infrastructure failures, network disruptions, or regional outages.

CFIUS

IT concepts

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is a government committee that reviews foreign investments in U.S. businesses. Its job is to assess any potential national security risks. CFIUS has the power to recommend blocking a transaction, imposing strict security conditions, or even forcing completed deals to be reversed if they threaten critical infrastructure, sensitive technology, or U.S. citizens’ personal data.

Browser Extension

IT concepts

A browser extension is a software module that adds specific features or functionality to a web browser. Extensions can modify browser behavior, interact with web pages, manipulate content, and integrate with external services. They range from popular password managers and ad blockers to specialized developer tools, productivity applications, and AI agent interfaces that enable LLM-powered assistance directly in the browser.

Break Glass Account

IT concepts

A break glass account is a special, privileged emergency access key (or an actual user account, or service account) designed for rare, critical scenarios. You use it when normal sign-in systems fail or when immediate administrative action is required. The term itself refers to breaking the protective glass to access emergency equipment; these accounts remain dormant under strict controls until an urgent situation demands their use. Unlike your standard administrative accounts, break glass accounts are designed to bypass typical access control mechanisms to restore system functionality during outages, security incidents, or infrastructure failures.

API Gateway

IT concepts

An API gateway is essentially a centralized entry point; a server that acts as the “bouncer” and “traffic cop” for all requests trying to access your company’s back-end services. Its job is to manage traffic flow while enforcing crucial rules like authentication (checking ID), authorization (checking permissions), and rate limiting (making sure no one overwhelms the system).

API

IT concepts

An API key is a unique string of characters used to authenticate and identify an application or user when interacting with an API. It acts as a simple form of credential that verifies who or what is making a request, without requiring a full authentication protocol.

Integration

IT concepts

The process of connecting secrets managers with other systems, applications, or cloud services to automate the retrieval and use of secrets. Secrets managers often provide integrations with popular development frameworks, deployment tools, and cloud platforms to streamline secret management.